Water-excluding device iob bathino-caps



I. W. LITCHFIELD.

WATER EXCLUDING DEVICE FOR BATHING CAPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1917.

Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC W. LITGHFIELD, OI NEWTONVILIE, MASSACHUSETTS.

WATER-EXCLUDING DEVICE FOR BATHING-OAPS.

Application filed May 28, 1917. Serial No. 171,399.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC W. Lrronrmm, a citizen of the United States residing at Newtonville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Water-Excluding Devices for Bathing-Caps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bathing caps and has specific reference to means whereby access of water, beneath the rim of the cap to the interior of the cap, is prevented.

The object of my invention is to provide means adjunctive to the bathing cap that will maintain the rim of the cap in secure, water-tight, contact with the head of the wearer, regardless of any irregularities in the contour of the head, at the point of contact with the rim of the bathing cap.

The means I employ to carry out the object of my invention is to provide an inflatable tube, detachably secured to the one side of a band or strap which has means where-,

by the band, with attached tube, may be secured about the head of the wearer, and the band is adapted to be thus secured with the deflated tube interposed betweenthe band and the rim of the cap. The tube is then inflated and. the consequent expansion of the tube forces the rim of the cap into watertight contact with all portions of the head of the bather, regardless of any irregularities in the contour of the head at the point of contact ofithe rim of the cap, and access of water to the interior of the cap is thereby prevented.

Figure 1 is a view of the band and inflatable tube.

Fig. 2 is a view of the band reversed from Fig. 1, showing the inflating tube.

Fig. 3 illustrates the manner of inflating the inflatable tube.

Fig. 1 illustrates the disposition of the device on the head of the bather, ready for use.

- Fig. 5 is a section of band and inflatable Fig. 9 represents a condition of band, inflated tube, and concavity.

As here shown, my invention consists of a band or strap 10, adapted to be fitted on the head of the wearer, over the rim of the bathing cap, and the band is provided with a hook 11, and eye 12, by means of which the ends of the band are fastened together, and the band thus secured to the head ofthe bather. A sliding clasp 13 is provided whereby the length of the band may be conveniently adjusted.

The inflatable pneumatic tube 14 is disposed on one side of the band 10 and is or may be detachably secured thereto by straps or loops 15, between which and the band,

said tube is passed. The tube 14: is normally in a deflated condition, and the band is adapted to be secured to the head of the wearer with the tube in said condition, after which the tube is adapted to be inflated, to maintainthe cap in water-tight contact with the head of the wearer. The loops of the band are designed to be sufficient to: secure the pneumatic tube to the band without additional fastening means.

In order that the tube it may be readily and easily inflated, I provide said tube with a flexible inflating tube 16, which is connected with the under side of tube 14: and passes through the band 10 and is provided, at its end, with a valve 17. The valve 17 is adapted to be placed in the mouth and blown into, to inflate the tube 14., after which the thumb nut 18 is tightened to maintain the air in said tube, and thereby to maintain said tube in its inflated condition. Band 10 is provided with straps or loops 19, through which the inflating tube is adapted to be passed, when not in use, and provide a convenient means of disposing of said tube.

In use, the band 10 with the inflatable tube in deflated condition is secured about the head of the bather, over the rim of the bathing cap, and the ends of the band clasped together by means of the hook and eye. In the deflated condition of the tube, the walls of the tube will pass over any irregularity or depression, such as indicated b 20, Fig. 8, without filling said depression.

hen the tube is inflated, by blowing into any concavity or irregularity of surface, as shown in Flg. 9, and thereby secures the rim of the cap in water-tight contact with the head of the bather, and effectively prevents access of water to the interior of said it is not necessary that the inflatable tube 14 extend entirely around the head of the bather, for the smooth forehead of the bather permits a close and water-tight contact of the rim of the cap, and it is suflicient if the inflatable tube extends around the back portion of the head included between the temples.

Although I have shown only one form of band and tube, in which the two ends of the band are adapted to be clasped together, about the head of the wearer, and the band secured in engagement with the cap and the head of the wearer by the elasticity of the inflated tube, yet other means may be provided for securing the band and inflatable tube to the cap.

I claim:

1. A Water-excluding device for bathing caps including an inflatable tube, a band adapted to be detachably secured to the cap to hold said tube in contact with the cap on the head of the wearer to press the rim of the cap in water-tight engagement with the head, means detachably securing said tube to said band, and means to inflate said tube.

2. A water excluding device for bathing caps comprising a band, means for adjusting the length of said band, said band having a plurality of loops along its length, a length of pneumatic tube extended through the loops of saidband, whereby said tube is detachably secured to said band, and means for uniting said band about the head of a wearer.

3. A water excluding device for bathing caps comprising a band, means for uniting the ends of said band about the head of a wearer, a length of pneumatic tube, and means for detachably securing said tube to said band comprising, a plurality of spacedapart loops carried by said hand between which and said band the length of tube is extended, said tube being otherwise unattached to said band.

4:. A water-excluding device for bathing caps including an inflatable tube, a band adapted to be secured over the cap and the head of the wearer to hold said tube in contact with the cap, and which, in its inflated condition, is adapted to maintain the cap in water-tight engagement with the head of the wearer, a plurality of: straps secured to said band and between which and said band said tube is adapted to be passed to detachably secure said tube to said band, a flexible inflating tube connected to said tube and extended through said band and terminating in a value, said inflating tube providing a means whereby said tube may be inflated or deflated, and loops attached to said band to provide means to conveniently dispose of said tube.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC W. LITCHFIELD.

Witnesses:

ALPHEUS D. SMITH, JOHN RITCHIE, Jr. 

